SPTC launches ValenTennis tourney
JEDDAH: Lover Boys took an overall 2-0 lead in the overall team standings after the breezed past Team Sweet Lovers 4-1 in the second round of the ValenTennis Tournament, organized by Samahang Pinoy Tennis Club at the Abdulaziz University Sports Complex.
Team Lover Boys came under fire in the opening set with their first doubles, Bernie SoguilonYusuff Adriatico, were annihilated with a barrage of pin-point passing and high-looping shots from Ali Callanta-Ruben Alzate of Team Sweet Lovers in their match under the Legend category.
Team Sweet Lovers’Ali CallantaRuben Alzate took command of the match, swept all their service games, which enabled Team Lover Boy’s Bernie Soguilon- Yusuff Adriatico go with the first and ninth games for an 8-2 win.
After their first set loss, Team Lover Boys recouped their strength in the next four doubles matches as Nilo Borata-Norwin Catipay overpowered Team Sweet Lovers’ Moi Noto-Memed Darkum (8-6) in the second set came from behind from 4-5 from the ninth frame, and 5-6 from the 11th game to level the score at 6-6, then took over the lead at 7-6 in the ensuing 13th game to finish off the match at 8-6.
Leo Maranion-Sherwin Narvaiz sustained Team Lover Boys’march and defeated Mario Betorio-Robert Rayos (8-4) in their third set and match.
Julius Garcia teamed up with a new club member, Al-Dapatuan, and the pair came through in the fourth set against Team Sweet Lovers’ Rolly Saldana-Haji Pilongo in a dramatic turnaround that saw them survive from 1-5 deficit to come out at 5-all, then, rattled in the next 3 games to nail down an 8-5 win for their Team Lovers.
In the following fifth and last set of the match, ClarkMaldo-Mashur Jamiri bolstered the Team Lovers’ cruised to victory by edging past their opponents JM Bravo-Ben Saladin, 8-6, to complete a 4-1 team victory.